“California as we see it today is not the state that we saw even ten years ago,” said Riverside County Supervisor John Tavaglione, stressing that it is critical to pass the California Forward Government Performance and Accountability Act to help get the state back on its feet.
Tavaglione appeared on the CA Fwd Radio show to tell people that this measure will ensure elected leaders are more accountable to voters and that public programs work better.
“I think the measure is critical,” he said. “The last thing we want is to see more initiatives to manage California, but this is the right initiative to bring California back into focus.”
He told CA Fwd Radio Show host Tracie Savage that the system is broken.
“We have a dysfunctional state government in terms of our legislature. That doesn’t mean our legislature or any member is bad. It just means that the way the system is currently structured, we find it very difficult to get things done,” he said. “That’s just holding back our state in a very difficult time when our governments need to get back on their feet.”
Tavaglione said businesses and households must manage their resources wisely, and so should governments.
“The problem in government is, many forget whose money they’re managing,” he said. “The money we’re managing is the public’s money, and we owe it to the public to ensure that we are accountable to certain measures. How do you know you’re doing well, and how do you know you’re doing bad without measures in place? You don’t. They are absolutely critical.”
When it comes to getting agencies to work together, Tavaglione said this is also common sense.
“In the private sector, when you have various divisions within a large corporation, I assure you those divisions talk on a regular basis and coordinate on a regular basis,” he said. “So many local agencies cross paths in our areas of responsibility and jurisdiction. You want to make sure you’re adequately coordinated, so you’re not wasting critical public dollars. It’s mind boggling this doesn’t happen.”
When asked whether the state can find its way to more secure footing, Tavaglione said there is no other option.
“We can do better. We have to get this state back on track,” he said. “We can definitely turn it around, but it’s going to take concerted, focused leadership to do that at all levels.”
Gina Baleria is communications manager for CA Fwd.
